The “HeisMendoza” chants have become reality. Fernando Mendoza has officially won the Heisman Trophy, delivering Indiana its first Heisman winner. Before breaking down how Mendoza outpaced the other finalists in a wide-open race that ultimately became his own, it’s important to understand how the Heisman voting system actually works.

How does the Heisman Trophy Voting System work?

Each year, the Heisman Trophy is awarded to the best college football player in America. Now, approximately 927 ballots decide the winner, cast by 870 media members, 56 all living former Heisman winners, and one fan vote. Now, voters rank their top three players: first by giving 3 points for first place, 2 for second, and 1 for third. The player with the highest point total wins, regardless of who gets more first-place votes.

The four finalists are invited to the Heisman ceremony. Since fans only have one ballot, media and former winners heavily influence the result. This system ensures fairness and chooses a player who’s been showing exceptional game throughout the season. In that way it’s both rewarding to the player and his team. Just like Fernando Mendoza got 2,362 points, with 643 first-place votes and Vanderbilt’s QB Diego Pavia finished second with 1,435 points and 189 first-place votes.

Now, let’s discuss about the media voters and how they are selected.

Who Are the Media Voters and How Are They Selected?

The ballot is divided into three sections, and media representatives hold the most amount of weightage. That’s exactly why sports journalists, beat writers, national college football reporters, analysts, and broadcasters with long-term experience make up most of the voters because they closely watch their growth in college football and are seen as impartial observers.

Now, their decision is entirely based on players’ regular-season performance and conference championship games. Fernando Mendoza turned heads in both as he completed the season with 2,980 yards, 33 touchdowns, and just 6 interceptions, and won the Big 10 championship game against Ohio State a few weeks ago.

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The Heisman Trophy trust oversees the entire voting process. Each state has a state representative who selects media voters, with larger states like California and Texas receiving more votes than smaller states. The country is divided into six regions: Far West, Mid Atlantic, Midwest, Northeast, South, and Southwest. Each region receives 145 media votes, adding up to 870 nationwide.

Let’s discuss the role of past Heisman Trophy winner in voting panel.

Is there a role of Former Heisman Trophy Winners in the Voting Panel

Former Heisman Trophy winners do have a role in official voting, as they play a crucial role in deciding the winner alongside 870 media members and one single fan ballot, which are counted together in the overall tally.

Their participation adds historical perspective and firsthand insight from players who have won the honor recently. There are typically 57-59 living Heisman winners eligible to vote. And their votes carry the same weight as media ballots.

Now, let’s know about how votes are tabulated and the entire process of determining the winner.

How Votes Are Tabulated, and the Winner Is Announced

The Heisman voting process uses secure ballots that are distributed to electors near the end of the college football regular season. Electors, including media voters and former Heisman winners, receive electronic login credentials to access the official website, and they submit their ranked ballots through that secure system.

All ballots must include first, second, and third choices, and they are confirmed electronically to ensure validity. Once submitted, they are sent to the independent accounting firm Deloitte, which collects and tallies the votes using the Heisman point system.

Ballots are distributed and opened in early December, shortly after regular season play ends, and electors have a set deadline, which is mostly the first week of December, to submit their completed ballots. After the ballots are tabulated, the finalists are announced at the Heisman Ceremony. That’s the entire procedure associated with the Heisman.

Now with Mendoza lifting the trophy, let’s wait and see if he can push his team to the national championship game or not!!